The Second Spencer
by Is This Not Reality
Summary: What would happen if Eliot Spencer had a sister? What would happen if that sister had been missing for 3 years? And what would happen if the team's hitter disappeared? (Takes place about a quarter way into the 2nd season) STORY ON HIATUS DUE TO LIFE:)
1. Chapter 1

The Second Spencer

AJ was yanked up violently, her hair pulled down so she was forced to look up. The man's hands were tied to two different poles, his ankles bound to the ground. He hung there; almost limp.

"Eliot?" She softly asked. Her older brother's head jerked up at the sound and he strained to turn around. Upon seeing her he struggled against his bindings.

"Get her out," He growled, "You said she wouldn't be here."

There was a soft chuckle behind them. Eliot and AJ both braced themselves, as if preparing for a blow. "Changed my mind, I guess." The voice said. She knew the voice. It was one of the only ones she had heard for the past 3 years.

"If you even think about hurting her, Jack-" Eliot began, but was rode over.

"I'm afraid that is an empty threat. You see she's already had her turn in this situation; almost once a month for the past 3 years, all in different places of course. And thanks to you, she's been here alone." Eliot's head dropped again, as if in shame. Jack's voice filled with sudden satisfaction. He continued, "Some sort of brother you are. It's all basically your fault."

"El, no. It isn't; you couldn't do anything," AJ blurted, "Jack's lying to you."

"Oh, 'El', Jack's lying to you." Jack's voice rose in pitch, mocking AJ. He laughed. "When did you get your voice back, AJ? You're normally so shy."

"I'm not shy. I just don't like talking to people I don't like." She flung the words at him, trying to throw him off. And she knew it wasn't a great idea.

He moved in front of her, finally showing himself. He then got quite close to her face. She braced herself, but his face broke into a smirk. "Next time," He said, straightening, "I wouldn't be so bold. I thought you learned that 3 years ago. Or shall I re-teach you?"

"Don't touch her!" Eliot warned. Facing away, he couldn't see them. But he could hear them.

"Oh. Hello, Eliot. I'd almost forgotten you were still here," Jack walked around to move in front of him now, his voice dropping to a low growl, "She's staying until you're finished here. Depending on how you behave, longer."

Eliot again struggled against the ties to no avail. Tired of his situation, he spat in Jack's face.

In return, Jack wiped it off and spun around, slapping Eliot hard. "Let's begin!" He yelled.

A man with a bullwhip stepped forward. He then proceeded to rip the back of Eliot's shirt open, revealing his bare back that was covered in bruises and scars. The man raised the whip.

"No!" AJ screamed, trying to get away from the men who held her back.

"Shut up!" Jack screeched back, "Shut up and hold still! Gag both of them."

As soon as the deed was done, he waved his hand and the whip came down hard. AJ tried to scream through the cloth, tears streaming down her cheeks.

The whip came up and down 10 times. Eliot's back soon became a bloody crisscross. Somewhere in the process AJ went limp, but her head was held up and she was forced to watch until she was finally dropped. Her hands were tied but she scrambled on her knees to Eliot. His head lolled to one side. He wasn't moving. AJ looked up at Jack, whose face was twisted in angry satisfaction.

"That's enough. Take her away." Jack ordered.

She was dragged to the small, dimly lit storage room where she had stayed for the past 2 weeks. She had been moved to 36 different locations, once a month for 3 years. No wonder why she was never found.

She wondered what was going on with El. Where would he be staying? When would she see him again? Would she ever see him again…? No. She forced the ugly thought away. But it lingered somewhere in the back of her mind, desperately trying to drown out her hope.

She mentally shook herself and moved to the corner of thin blankets and flat pillows that was her bed. She tried to fight the sleep that tugged at her eyes and relaxed her body. Finally, unable to fight it, she gave in, falling into deep and troubled dreams, filled with the sacred memories of her past life; the things that kept the tiny thread of sanity in her intact.


	2. Chapter 2

Eliot had almost had a heart attack when he heard the quiet voice that had called his name. The voice that used to carry into every room but now could barely be heard. The voice that used to be full of mischief and fun. The voice that he had known so well before its owner died.

He whipped his head around, straining against his bonds. Her appearance shocked him more than the voice.

AJ's long, wavy, usually very neat auburn hair was chopped unevenly, as if a toddler had decided to become a barber. Eliot had never thought her fat. No. Just curvy. And she, in Eliot's opinion, was even prettier than the stick-skinny models in the magazines. But now, her before vibrant cheeks were pale and gaunt. Her waist contracted dramatically, almost to the bone. She wore a baggy gray t-shirt with stains that Eliot had hoped weren't blood. She wore black sweat-like pants and no shoes. Her feet were scarred and she probably couldn't walk, and therefore was dragged. He had quickly taken in the horrid sight before letting his head droop back down. The sight of her made him want to hurt someone. No, kill someone. Preferably Jack Nellis.

Eliot had said words, words he couldn't remember. Then it was all a blur. Jack threatened AJ, Eliot in turn threatened him. Eliot felt strong surges of guilt. It _was_ his fault. AJ had to suffer every day because of _him_. When AJ chimed in, Eliot almost felt proud. She was back for a few seconds. Then he remembered their situation and mentally chided her.

"Don't touch her!" Eliot had blurted.

"Oh. Why hello, Eliot," Jack had replied with mock surprise. "I'd almost forgotten you were still here." Jack moved in front of Eliot at this point. "She's staying until you're through here. Depending on how you both behave, longer."

Eliot had enough of feeling helpless. So, barely conscious of his behavior anymore, he launched a huge ball of mucus out of his mouth, hurtling on to Jack's face. He earned a numbing strike across the face.

"Let's begin!" Jack yelled.

Eliot's shirt was ripped open. Gags were put in place. AJ kept making an attempt to scream. 'Oh,' Eliot thought, 'Whipping. I've had worse…' Suddenly, a whip rudely interrupted his thoughts. It came down ten times.

The last thing he heard before blacking out was AJ's muffled protest and the crack of the whip echoing through the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Alec Hardison shuffled into the Leverage consulting main office, orange soda in hand, staring at nothing. His mind was filled with thoughts, though he didn't focus on any one in particular. Most of them were about his best friend. Although, of course they never admitted it, they had become brothers.

This brother had been missing for over two days now. Usually, that wouldn't concern the team. But this time it did. Eliot had disappeared durring a live con on a high profile businessman who, like many of their targets, had been exploiting his customers, taking all they had. His actions barely bordered the line of legality, but to the team it was as far away from that line as possible. The mark in particular was no other than scumbag Evan King, well known for his own cons, but the police had never gotten any charges to stick due to lack of evidence, and the team was determined to change that.

This was as personal to the team as it could get; especially to Nate. The team's consultants had a 9-year-old daughter who had developed leukemia. The subject of children having life-threatening diseases hit close to home for all of them. Therefore, the case was taken in seconds.

The team decided to go to the scumbag's party and there began their con. Nate played the cocky CEO of _"Boston Financial Associates"_ (BFA for short) named Matt Jones. The BFA was one of the richest, least-known companies in the world. Sophie, of course, was Nate's attractive assistant, Jane Johnson. Eliot stood close as their bulky, seemingly brainless security guard, Mr. Harriet. Hardison waited in Lucille, watching security cameras (drinking his orange soda, of course) to make sure the coast was clear. Parker waited in the air ducts for her signal to swoop down into King's office, copy computer files onto a hard drive and get out.

Nate and Sophie were chatting King up, esteeming his business and explaining how BFA could boost his sales by millions. They had him.

"Alright, Parker baby, I'm ready for you," Hardison announced from the van over the comms. He hit a few keys and ghosted the cameras. He smiled to himself.

"Dropping down!" Parker responded.

Hardison couldn't see her, but he knew she looked amazing. Dropping from the ceiling… downloading the files…

"Got it!" She exclaimed, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"You go, baby girl," Hardison muttered, smiling again. "Nate, she got it. Clear out."

"Alright, let's go!" Nate called, leaving the building with Sophie in tow.

' _Wow, that was a clean job,'_ Hardison thought as he pulled up to the front and waited for the team to pile in. He pulled away quickly, not looking back. Not noticing the black van that followed.


	4. Chapter 4

AJ stared up at the ceiling of the dimly lit room, thinking about how everything had changed so quickly.

Only 3 years earlier she was back on her family's farm, helping her father with all the work. She was only 14 then. And now she was almost 17. She could have been driving by now, going to a normal high school with normal people. But now she was trapped in Jack's clutches, unable to get out, barely able to walk.

AJ had always wondered about what her older brother was doing. She always pictured him in some crazy situation were he'd have to take someone down with a small Teddy Bear, or even a lemon wedge. She had some tiny idea of what he did for a living. She knew he was some sort of assassin, but that had been before she disappeared. She just hoped he had changed for the better.

Her thoughts, for the millionth time, strayed to the day she'd been taken. Before, she blocked the memory out. But now, she let them flow.

The day seemed completely normal. She woke early, got eggs from the coup, and made breakfast for her and her father, after which she headed to school. And she liked it, at least some of it. The social part, definitely. Math, definitely not. And math was her last period of the day.

About twenty minutes into her least favorite class, she was called to check out as quickly as possible. Instantly, her head filled with worry. Her mind darted to her father, then to the farm. The chickens- oh no. Heaven forbid- the horses!

So she ran to her locker, grabbed her things, and jogged into the office. What was waiting made her almost run into one of the leaving students.

"Eliot?" She asked, shocked.

"Hey, AJ," He responded, his charming smile spouting across his face. Then he seemed to remember why he was there and it disappeared immediately and he sobered. "We gotta go."

"Go? Is dad alright?" AJ asked, struggling to keep up with his wide stride as they left.

"Yeah, yeah. He's fine."

"Then what's the matter?"

El said nothing. Then unexpectedly grabbed her arm as soon as they exited the school. "Just promise you'll do whatever I say," He pleaded, stopping and turning her to face him. "Promise!" He snapped when she hesitated.

"I promise!" AJ blurted in response.

Satisfied with that, he led her to his motorcycle parked close by. She smiled. She loved his bike.

But as AJ climbed on, she felt something sharp pierce her neck and she fell back. She felt Eliot barely catch her before she hit the ground.

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Eliot eased her unconscious body down then carefully pulled the tranquilizer dart out of her neck. He looked around, suddenly alert, looking for the source of the shot. He found the direction, but reacted only a millisecond too late as a tranquilizer dart hit the back of his neck from the completely opposite direction.

It immobilized him. He could see and hear, but couldn't move. He laid there, helpless while men roughly grabbed AJ and threw her like a rag doll into a recently pulled up van. There was no license plate. No distinctive qualities to it. The men wore all black and ski masks.

He couldn't deduce anything, except for the fact that they were professional. No one could get the drop on him, unless they knew whom they were dealing with.

But Eliot knew one thing for certain; he had failed at saving his little sister.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! So quick note, sorry about the lateness! I really tried, but things weren't working, and I went on vacation. Sorry! Thanks for the R &R's! Keep 'em coming! Good AND bad rates greatly appreciated (Just try to control yourselves though)! Thank you again! Enough of my rant; enjoy the story!**

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Nathan Ford strode into the office in high spirits. He snatched a shot glass from the cupboard and poured himself a glass of whiskey. It was a good day so far, so he decided to continue it in the same attitude.

They had gotten a new mark, the big shot Evan King. Hardison began the briefing. However, Eliot seemed very distant, even more so than usual. He had a painful look in his eyes that Nate couldn't dismiss. He held up a hand to stop Hardison.

"Alright, Eliot. Is there something you'd like to share with the class?" Nate questioned, earning quizzical looks from the team directed towards him and Eliot.

"What?" Eliot seemed to have been snapped out of a trance.

"Are you alright, Eliot?" Sophie gently asked, looking at Eliot with concern.

"Yeah. Yeah… I'm…" His voice trailed off. But he straightened himself and changed the subject. "Hardison, rant on more about this guy, what's his name? Kevin Queen."

"Evan King," Hardison corrected. Eliot didn't even respond but turned to the window. Nate nodded and Hardison resumed.

Nate was deeply concerned. He knew something was wrong with Eliot, but he had no idea what. Nate mentally chided the man for refusing to tell the rest of them what was going on. If this was going to effect the con…

"You know, I don't know why I even go through the back breaking work to prepare these briefings for you," Hardison interrupted Nate's thoughts, "Y'all never even pay attention." He waved his hand lazily at the bunch.

He was right. Eliot stared out the window at nothing, while Sophie stared at him nervously. Parker had rigged an apple onto one of her harnesses and began throwing it up and over the banister; occasionally sending confused glances to Eliot and Sophie, unsure whether to stay or join the apple on the ceiling support. Although he hadn't really noticed, Nate had been staring into his glass, watching the ice get smaller and smaller.

Suddenly, Eliot's head snapped around, making Sophie jump. "I gotta go," He mumbled, heading for the door.

"Hey, Eliot, hold on a second," Nate stood and walked to him, "We're your team, we deserve to know where you're going."

"It's personal." Eliot turned and reached for the doorknob.

"Is it dangerous?" Parker jumped up (making her apple fall with a painful thud on the table) and ran in front of the door, blocking Eliot's path.

"It shouldn't be." Eliot looked at his feet, and Nate was surprised at how out of character his behavior was.

"Then we can come," Parker stated simply, turning and opening the door. But Eliot reached over her and closed it again.

"No." He gently moved her aside, "This is something I have to do alone."

"Parker's right," Nate cut in. "If there's no danger, it should be alright for us to come."

"And we're family," Parker said quietly, averting her eyes. Then she looked up into Eliot's eyes. "Which means no secrets."

"Fine." Parker's eyes lit up, but Eliot quickly shot her down. "I'll tell you what's going on, but that don't mean you can come." She pouted for a second, but then nodded and politely listened. "Three years ago, I had a sister. She was 14. But she died."

Everyone knew there was much more to the story, but they also knew they probably weren't going to get anything more out of him.

"I'll be back in time for the con." Eliot stalked out the door, and Parker started after him. But Sophie grabbed her arm and shook her head.

"We need to let him do whatever it is he needs to," Sophie said, guiding Parker to the couch. "And he said there's no danger, so there's nothing to worry about."

"But it's Eliot we're talking about!" Parker exclaimed, plopping down on the couch. "For all we know it could turn deadly!"

"Parker, Eliot can take care of himself," Hardison finally spoke, sitting next to her. "Sophie's right. Nothing to worry about." Parker folded her arms in protest, but didn't carry on the argument.

Despite Hardison and Sophie's words of reassurance, none of the team felt that there was nothing to worry about. With Eliot, there was always something to worry about. But for now, they just had to trust him.

"What do you think happened to his sister…?" Parker thought aloud.

"I could… find out…" Hardison stood, moving to his computer.

"No. We couldn't do that. No matter how much I want to know, I also know that Eliot didn't want to tell, so we shouldn't turn around and try to figure it out ourselves." Sophie reasoned. "We just have to… Trust him."

"Sophie's right. Just give him time and maybe one day he'll tell us," Nate mumbled, not fully paying attention.

"But why didn't he at least tell us he had a sister? He knows-" Parker's voice caught ever so slightly, "he knows about my brother. Why didn't he tell us?"

"Parker, I'm sure he had more than enough reasons not to." Sophie calmly responded, though Nate could sense her agitation.

"Yeah, well, whatever they are, they aren't good enough." Parker said stubbornly. Nate shook his head.

"Okay, well, Eliot or no Eliot, we need to get this done and we can fill him in when he gets back. Hardison, run it." Nate just wanted to change the subject. He didn't like the situation any more than the rest of them, but he didn't want to think of it.

As Hardison wearily resumed, Nate zoned out again, and he was sure the rest of the team did as well. Eventually, Nate heard Hardison's voice trail off and he looked up to see the hacker staring off into the monitors, not focusing at all.

All of the team was completely absorbed in their own minds, thinking of their hitter and how he was holding up.

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As Eliot walked out of the office, he hung his head. He knew he should have told the team more, or at least made up an excuse as to where he was going. But something stopped him. It could have been his own pride, or that he wanted to keep them safe, but he was sure it wasn't anything as selfless as the latter.

Eliot cursed himself for deciding to join the team in the first place. He should have let it be a walk away job, but he carried it on, thinking he was doing something noble. But in reality, he realized that he was trying to atone for his past. But he knew he couldn't do that. Eliot laughed to himself at the thought. Eliot Spencer, _atone_? The thought was as crazy as Parker. Well, maybe not _that_ crazy.

Eliot walked out to his bike, nightmare worthy memories flooding through his mind. He was about to climb on to the very same bike that almost took him and his sister to safety. But he was too late. He remembered the helpless feeling as the men tossed AJ into the back of their van and sped away. Eliot angrily pushed the thoughts aside and shoved a helmet onto his head. He started his bike and drove off.


	6. Chapter 6

The Second Spencer

Chapter 6

Eliot rode for hours, knowing his route by heart. He loved the ride, the sense of freedom. Out here, he was free from his mistakes, from his problems. His destination, however, represented one of his greatest problems, caused by his biggest mistakes.

As Eliot rode past the familiar nothingness of the countryside, he thought of AJ. He thought of how terrible a brother he was to her. Heck, he couldn't even save her from her terrible fate. He could do nothing about the events that took so much from the both of them.

Eliot soon arrived at his destination. He had been there so many times over the last 3 years it almost became as normal as going to the store. But he would never get used to the heart wrenching sadness that filled him whenever he was present.

It was a dismal lot of land, quite literally filled with death. The cemetery only had around 15 headstones which all looked alike. But Eliot ignored all of them. He walked through the field until he came to a small rise in the plains and knelt under a tree in front of a headstone, which was only a foot and a half tall. He brushed off leaves from the top of it and sighed. The stone read;

AJ SPENCER

BELOVED SISTER AND DAUGHTER

JUNE 11, 1990- SEPTEMBER 21, 2004

"Hey, AJ," Eliot spoke, "I… I know you can't talk to me, but I'm hopin' that you can hear me wherever you are. Otherwise, I'd just be talking to a stone right now, and we can't have that now can we?" Eliot gave a sad laugh, knowing she would have wanted him to joke with her.

"I wish you could see what I'm doing. I have a team now, a family. I know you would love to meet them. There's Parker, who is the best thief I've ever seen- and, no matter what I keep telling her; there isn't anything wrong with her. Then there's Hardison, the smartest guy I know. Sure he's a geek, but when it comes to computer stuff, there ain't no one better. He's almost like my brother. And there's also Sophie, she's almost like the mom of the group. She's the greatest actress I've ever seen; well, off stage that is. And then there's Nate. He is the mastermind of the operation; he always keeps us in check and keeps us together. We are all like one big family. We do good things; we help people. And I… I think I love them. Every single one. But don't you go tellin'." Eliot shook his head, smiling sadly.

"It's September 17, 2007; almost 3 years. You know what that means…" Eliot sighed, trying to think of what else to say. "I did find you, ya know. I could have saved ya from… I coulda saved you from dyin'… As soon as I found ya I got on my bike and raced to you…"

Eliot told her the story, the way he did every time, about how almost a month into her disappearance, he had found her. He knew where she was and was preparing to go save her.

So, he strapped a long knife to his belt, hopped on his bike, and zoomed off to the warehouse where he knew she was being held.

Eliot had cautiously jogged to the front door, crouching slightly and ducking his head. He cracked the door open, preparing himself for a fight. It was dark in the room, and Eliot noted he had to keep alert. He stepped back, pulling the door with him. He had just stepped into the room when he heard a loud, cocky, somewhat preppy voice boom through the room.

"Ah! There you are!" The voice called out, "I was beginning to worry you wouldn't show!"

As if on cue, the lights flickered on, momentarily disorienting Eliot. But he quickly gathered himself and took in his surroundings.

It was a two-level warehouse. The second floor was like a catwalk that lined all four walls, looking over the empty first floor. ' _Great,'_ Eliot thought, ' _No hiding places. No cover.'_ That last thought discouraged him, for the 2nd floor catwalk was lined with snipers, ready to fire from every angle.

And in the center of it all was AJ, in a swivel chair, unconscious. Eliot's eyes drifted to the man next to her, who was holding a gun to AJ's head. His mouth was twisted into a permanent smirk on his squared, stubbled jaw, his black hair perfectly spiked up. Realization struck Eliot hard as he stared into the man's sea-blue eyes that rested under dark bushy eyebrows. _'No!'_ Eliot mentally swore. Of all his enemies, it had to be him…

Eliot took it all in, taking under a second. His eyes, filled with disbelief and anger, lingered on the man who held his sister captive. The man smirked at his obvious frustration.

"Oh, yes Eliot. It's me." Jack Nellis said smoothly, smirk still there.

"You…" Eliot mumbled, and made a move towards him.

Jack tsked. "I'm afraid you've forgotten something," Jack motioned to the snipers, who were all now trained on AJ. "One wrong move, and she dies."

"Don't even think about it," Eliot snarled, but he didn't move.

"I know you're fast, my friend," Jack taunted, "But are you faster than four bullets? Honestly, I'd _love_ to see you try."

"What do you want?" Eliot demanded, trying to stay in control.

"Nothing more than revenge- well maybe a little more," Jack said casually. "You know; for destroying my life. Trying to kill me. The works."

Eliot _had_ tried to kill him, and he wasn't about to deny it. But that was back in his Moreau days, and all Jack was supposed to be was a target. He was supposed to die, not vow revenge and kidnap Eliot's sister.

"Then there's the matter of you slaughtering my brother," Jack was spitting venom now.

"Then kill me! She has nothing to do with this," Eliot growled.

"No," The reply came simply. "She has everything to do with it; because I want you to know how it feels to lose someone you're close to. And, you never see her anyway. So how much of a difference could her being gone make?"

"Just leave her alone," Eliot ignored his question. "If you have a problem with me, take care if it _without_ bringing anyone else into it. Let her go, and we can settle this one on one."

Eliot was desperately trying to keep himself contained. He knew that if he didn't, AJ would get hurt. But he also wanted so badly to rip Jack Nellis apart with his bare hands.

"Oh yeah, of course. 'Cuz I'm gonna put myself in danger of you without any collateral." Jack let out a short laugh, gesturing to AJ's unconscious form. "I know I'm good, but it's much easier this way."

And Eliot knew exactly how good Jack Nellis was. He had, in fact, served in deep black ops with him for a year. Eliot knew him quite well. Key word- _knew_. He had always been a bit off the rocker, but had now completely dropped off the grid and as a result had been dishonorably discharged from Eliot's team.

Eliot shook his head. He'd for sure done bad things, and he wasn't about to deny it. He didn't think himself a good person. But now he had brought one of the only good things in his life into danger.

"So, are you ready to watch your sister die?" Jack interrupted his thoughts, snapping him back into the present.

Eliot felt helpless. It was a rare feeling for him, and he hated it.

"If you kill her the only way you're leaving is in a body bag." Eliot warned.

"No. You're leaving here, without touching me, feeling terribly awful. Your sister will be dead. I'll leave, virtually unharmed, but I'll be back. Give it maybe, let's say, three years, and I'll come back; and you'll die, joining your sister." Jack answered back calmly.

"Why don't you just kill me now?" Eliot was getting frustrated now, "Get it over with."

"Because I want you to suffer. I want you to have to live with this, as I did. Then I will kill you," Jack paused to laugh. "Think of how great I will be! _Jack Nellis_ , the man who destroyed the _'legendary'_ Eliot Spencer." He said the last words with mock admiration.

Eliot was stuck. He didn't have time. He didn't have a plan. So, he improvised.

"Why don't you dismiss your snipers so you can at least kill her with dignity," Eliot knew it was risky, but it was a chance he had to take. His only option was talking. "Don't hide behind guns. It's a coward's weapon."

That had gotten Jack's attention. He stared at Eliot with crazed eyes. Eliot cursed his own stupidity.

"It is either bullets," Jack grabbed the back of AJ's chair, "or this." He spun it around. Eliot's heart skipped a beat.

It was a bomb, C4 with no visible timer. Eliot assumed it was remote activated, and Jack had it. Which meant there was still hope, because if Jack were to choose the bomb, he'd have to leave if he wanted to live. Eliot could still have time to get AJ out.

"I see what your choice is," Jack said. He then snapped his fingers and the lights went out.

Eliot heard the door open and people entered. He then felt something be suddenly injected into his arm, and metal cuffs were placed tightly on his arms and legs, binding them together. He felt nothing afterwards, which meant the shot was meant to immobilize him. The same drug used in the darts when AJ was taken.

He was dragged outside, the sun stinging his eyes, and forced to a sitting position, leaning against the wall of an adjacent warehouse. _'So much for getting her out,'_ Eliot thought, all his hopes dashed.

The door was left open, and Eliot could see AJ's unconscious form, still sitting and tied. Jack exited, snipers on his tail, carrying a small device in hand. Smiling.

Jack knelt next to Eliot, waving the device in his face. "It was your choice, you know," He taunted. "Either way, you have to watch."

Eliot tried hard to respond. Even to plead. But he could only get out small, sad grunts.

Jack laughed at his efforts and asked, "You wanna know what her last word was?" He held the remote up, finger hovering over a button. "Eliot."

A click. A flash. The deafening roar of a bomb. The smoke. The heat.

Someone was screaming- Eliot was pretty sure it was himself.

He was roughly pushed to his side, and, for the first time in longer than anyone knew, Eliot Spencer began to sob.

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Eliot finished the story, realizing that it had turned into a flashback. He had said everything- which was unusual. He would always stop before the last words were told and said the bomb went off and she died, and that Eliot was left out for hours. But for some reason, he continued. It felt oddly good to finally have that weight off his shoulders, and she deserved to know the whole story.

Eliot sat there for another twenty minutes before slowly standing, kissing his hand and patting it on AJ's headstone. His hand brushed the rough rock as he walked away, hopping on his bike and heading back to the team.


	7. Chapter 7

The Second Spencer

Chapter 7

Sophie put her elbows on the table and rested her head in the palms of her hands. She knew Eliot could take care of himself, but she still felt terrible about the whole situation. If he just needed to go hit someone or something, leaving with that reassuring smile, she would be all right. Of course she'd still be worried, but it would be better. But instead he had a haunted look in his eyes and the smile was replaced with a slight grimace. Not even Sophie had known what to do. Now, he could be anywhere. He'd already been gone a good part of the day, since he left around noon and it was nearing sundown. He had promised to be back in time for the con, which wasn't going to begin until the next day, but Sophie still worried. She couldn't help it.

"Where is Eliot already?" Sophie couldn't hold the question anymore.

"I was just wondering the same thing," Nate agreed.

"If he has his com I can find him," Hardison offered.

"Yeah! Let's do it! This is killing me!" Parker exclaimed through a mouthful of dry cereal.

"No, he'll be back," Nate stopped them, making Parker angrily shove a handful of her comfort food into her mouth. "If he isn't back in an hour we'll talk about it." This seemed to slightly satisfy Parker and she shoved another handful in, but more carefully this time.

After their conversation, they sat in silence yet again. The only sound was Hardison tapping away at his computer for more con information and Parker's crunch of cereal for the next 20 minutes until the door opened.

"Hey. Sorry, I'm a bit later than I meant to be…" Eliot muttered as he walked in. His eyes held the same pain as before, but it seemed more subdued. "What'd I miss?"

"Not a ton. I'll catch you up on some security detail and the more important things, but the rest I think you'll be fine not knowing," Hardison informed, gazing up from his monitor occasionally as he spoke.

"Alright," Eliot said dejectedly.

After a long pause, Sophie decided to address the elephant in the room, "So how was your trip?"

"Fine," Eliot answered, less than half-heartedly.

"Where'd you go?" Parker asked as casually as she could, but everyone could hear the anticipation in her voice.

"To-" Eliot stopped himself, almost as if to decide whether to tell the truth or come up with a lie. After he paused too long, Sophie interjected.

"It's okay, Eliot. You don't have to tell," Sophie really wanted to know. But if he wasn't ready, then she could wait. Somehow.

"Hardison, why don't you fill in Eliot about the con and we can all head home and go to bed," Nate suggested, rising from the couch he sat on. "I'm gonna hit the hay."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure thing Nate," Hardison agreed, snapping back from his thoughts and motioning Eliot over, who dismally shuffled over.

About an hour later, Eliot and Hardison had finished. Eliot had insisted on knowing every detail of the con, and a very weary Hardison bitterly caved.

Nate had gone upstairs and Parker left, but Sophie lingered for a while, lost in her own thoughts.

She first thought of the con and her character. She was simple, not too different than the women she played in many other cons. Then she drifted to how Eliot had left earlier. Before he did, he mentioned a sister… What was her name? Had Eliot even told them? Sophie couldn't recall, so she just decided to call her Spencer Junior. Or Junior for short. Sophie smiled at her own cleverness. Eliot had said that Junior died, but how could she have? _'I mean- she was_ Eliot's _sister…'_ Sophie wondered, _'they must have been very good to have gotten Eliot Spencer's sister. How long ago was it anyway…?'_

"Sophie!" A rough voice called to her, snapping her awake. "Welcome back. We've said your name at least five times," She couldn't help but smile as she matched the rough voice to Eliot.

"Well, now that you're awake, I'm gonna head on out. See y'all later…" Hardison announced, ejecting a flash drive and shutting down his computers, taking his laptop and other equipment in a bag. He left with an awkward wave.

After a few seconds, Eliot and Sophie both realized they had been staring at each other. Sophie decided to again address the elephant between the two of them.

"What was your sister's name?" She asked, timidly but directly. The question seemed to catch him off guard and she had to repeat it.

"AJ," He answered quietly, after studying Sophie for a minute, as if trying to decide whether or not to tell her. "AJ Spencer." He then stated more proudly.

"That's a beautiful name," Sophie complimented, not wanting to push too hard. But she decided to after he merely nodded. "When did she…" She let the question trail off, not wanting to say the word. He hesitated again.

"Back in 2004." He finally murmured.

"Eliot, I-" Sophie's voice cracked, "I'm so sorry…"

"So am I." He mumbled, barely loud enough for Sophie to hear. After a while, he decided to continue. "Please don't tell the team, but… I went to… to visit her today."

"I won't tell," Sophie reassured. "You don't have to say anymore if you don't want to." She added after seeing him struggle. "And I trust you will do the right things."

He looked surprised at that last bit, and gave a sad chuckle, "You trust me, _Eliot Spencer_ , to do the _right things_?" As soon as he saw Sophie's straight face, he sobered.

"With all my heart," She answered simply. She looked deep into his eyes and saw a blend of surprise, gratitude, and slight joy. "And I mean it."

"Thanks, Soph." He said quietly, slowly rising. He held out his hand to help her up, and she took it. She almost left, but she spun around and gave him a tight hug. He stood shocked for a moment, but then returned the gesture, almost more fiercely. "Not a word to the team?" He asked, smiling as they both pulled away.

"Not a word," Sophie agreed, smiling back.

They left, Eliot holding the door for her. He wasn't going to say anything, but Nate had entered just as they hugged, but clung close to the wall. At first, he thought Sophie attacked Eliot, but quickly realized it was a hug. A hug between _Sophie Devereaux_ and _Eliot Spencer_.

Grinning like a fool, Nate walked back up to his room, forgetting the drink he had come down for.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey all! I'm so sorry about not updating for a while, it's been crazy. And yes, you get two chapters today, just to save my own butt! Enjoy!**

The Second Spencer

Chapter 8

(3 days earlier, late night)

Parker hopped out of Lucille, smiling at the success of the job. But she was also disappointed at how painfully, boringly easy it was. However, she shrugged off the thought and began to think instead about all the pretty money that they would soon receive.

"Is it just me, or was that job just a tad too simple?" Hardison voiced Parker's earlier concerns.

"It was a tad too simple," Parker agreed. "Not just you," She patted his shoulder and skipped past him towards the entrance of the bar/apartments Hardison owned. The rest followed.

Once they had arrived at Nate's apartment door, Eliot stopped them all, his senses on high alert. He put his hand out and Nate deposited the key into it. Signaling for them to wait, Eliot carefully unlocked and opened the door, ready for an ambush.

But he didn't find anyone. However, the room was torn up, everything in chaos. After checking for the intruders, he deemed it safe enough for the team and motioned them in. They filed in slowly, eyes widening in horror and jaws dropping in shock.

Hardison, worried about his expensive equipment, made a b-line for the conference room. The others ran after, but Eliot lagged.

Hardison flipped the light switch to find the chairs flipped, but no other disturbance. With shaking hands, he turned on the computer. As the monitors flickered to life, the team's eyes filled with terror.

"Eliot!" Nate yelled. The man called came running in, then upon seeing the monitors, stopped dead in his tracks.

Up on the screen, a 14-year-old girl smiled up at the camera, arm in arm with a man who beamed, looking happier than the team had ever seen him, was Eliot Spencer.

The note across the bottom of the screens read,

 _AJ misses her brother._


	9. Chapter 9

The Second Spencer

Chapter 9

Eliot sunk to his knees, his eyes never leaving the girl on the screen above him. "AJ…" he stammered, "She… you… miss?"

"AJ was your sister, wasn't she?" Nate asked. Eliot only nodded in response. "Could you… Tell us what happened to her?"

Eliot paused for a minute, holding the group in suspense. He took a deep breath in and before he knew it, he was telling them everything. The day she was taken, the day he found her, and about the three year deadline. The deadline that was now only about three days away. "She was gone… I didn't know what to do, so I blocked out my feelings, but visited her often. I…" His voice trailed off.

"Wait, she _died_?" Hardison asked, "But… but the picture says…"

"I know, Hardison. I know what the picture says," Eliot said in a broken sounding snap. "She can't be alive," He dashed the hope that was in all their minds. "I watched- I was there when she died."

"Well, Eliot, you did say she was unconscious the whole time, so what if it wasn't really her?" Sophie suggested.

"But how does that help Nellis?" Parker asked, remembering the name from Eliot's story. "If he didn't really do it…"

"Well, no, think about it. This way, Eliot thinks she's dead and won't go looking-" Nate began, but Eliot rode him over.

"I looked, Nate," He said, a cold look in his eye, "I've never stopped looking."

"Yes, but you didn't account for one thing," Nate countered, "AJ. He had you there, so you didn't add the right variables. Such as times he could move her when you got too close, moving without detection, accommodations you need for a prisoner, etc.," Nate spoke as if this was all very obvious, but it took a second for the others to catch on.

"So, you're saying Eliot did everything he could?" Sophie said harshly, trying to hint to Nate that he should be more sensitive. Sometimes, he let his own 'cleverness' (AKA ego) get in the way.

"Regarding the circumstances, yes," Nate said, just as clueless as ever.

' _Ugh,'_ Sophie thought, _'He_ still _doesn't get it… Men.'_

"Yeah, thanks, but-" Eliot began, but Sophie wouldn't have it.

"But nothing Eliot. Like Nate said, you did everything you could," Sophie reassured him, "Stop putting yourself down about it."

"I could have done _something_ ," Eliot countered. "I never shoulda gotten into this mess, then she wouldn't have been dragged in too. You- you don't understand."

"I don't understand?" Parker asked quietly, her voice getting gradually louder. " _I don't understand?!_ Last time I checked, you weren't the only one who lost someone! And my brother is _dead_ , D-E-A-D, dead!" Her breathing became harsh. "And your sister is probably _alive_. So don't tell me I don't understand!"

"Parker, I-" Eliot hesitated, "I forgot."

"Lucky you…" Parker mumbled.

Sophie was taken back by their words. Worry floated through her mind. What was going on with them all? Sophie certainly did not recognize this new team. A broken hitter, whose pieces have started to flow out of him, and a reckless thief who is seeming to understand the reason for her deeds.

Sophie was just hoping it all was a bad dream and she would wake up soon with the team back to themselves.

But in the meantime, they just needed to find AJ Spencer and save her.

LEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGE

 **Hello friends! I am very grateful for all y'all, you're fantastic. Thank you for reading! Please rate and review, it reminds me to write more (I need a little help). I LOVE YOU!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, readers! AH, I'm so very sorry that I haven't updated at all recently. I've been super busy. I really hope you enjoy this new chapter. PLEASE rate and review! It motivates me a ton. THANK YOU!**

The Second Spencer

Chapter 10

AJ looked up in confusion as the door to her room (AKA closet) opened.

"AJ, dear?" Jack asked, poking his head in. It had become common for him to enter that way, as if he were a brother… But she already had a brother. Or did she? Eliot hasn't come to get her. One part of her knew he would, but another insisted he didn't care either way. He _was_ a killer, after all…

"AJ!" Jack yelled, rudely yanking AJ out of her thoughts. "Stupid girl. Next time, pay attention. Anyway, I'm going to give you a little present, but only if you can behave. Can you do that for me?" She nodded 'yes'. "Good. You've been a good girl lately. So would you like to see your brother now?"

AJ's excitement almost overtook her and she exclaimed, "Yes!" but quickly shut her mouth, remembering that a main rule was to only speak when spoken to. Luckily, Jack only gave her a warning look.

"Okay!" Jack bellowed, clapping his hands together. He picked up a remote and pressed a button, pointing it to a TV that had been recently rolled in by his men. Jack had _men_. Who would work for such a sick man? _'Well-paid ones, probably,'_ AJ thought.

The TV flickered to life, showing nothing but static for a moment. AJ loved these days. Sometimes she could watch Charlie Brown on VHS or on days when she was especially good, she was allowed to watch Eliot. It was mostly on security tapes when he was beating the crap out of people, but other times he was simply getting groceries or even walking down the street with a darker man carrying an orange soda and a blonde woman. Occasionally, a brunette woman and a curly haired, lankier man would accompany the three.

Today was one of those other times. After Jack had hooked a computer to the TV, it came into focus. It showed a familiar scene that seemed to stretch on for miles; it was a golden countryside. AJ suddenly longed to be out there, to _run_. 'And leave Jack?' a voice in her head asked, 'We belong here.' AJ almost agreed with it, but a figure walked- no, trudged- on screen. It knelt down in front of a headstone that was under the tree the camera was hidden in.

"Hey, AJ," She instantly recognized the voice as Eliot's. "I… I know you can't talk to me, but I'm hopin' you can hear me wherever you are. Otherwise, I'd just be talkin' to a stone right now, and we can't have that, can we?" ' _Wait, 'up there'? Stone? What is he talking about?'_ AJ thought. Eliot continued, "… I did find you, ya know. I coulda stopped you from dyin'…" _'Wait, WHAT? Dying?'_ AJ thought, exasperated.

She listened to the start of his story in awe. She almost didn't hear Jack laughing at him hysterically.

AJ almost cried when Eliot explained how he had a team now. Sure, they were criminals. But they were Eliot's criminals. His family.

Family… AJ's before present smile vanished. She became jealous. She was…

"You see?" Jack said, pausing the tape. "You've been _replaced_."

AJ shook her head vigorously. She did something she hadn't in a long time; she talked back. "No. No, he didn't…" Her voice came out in a dry croak, but there was strength in it she hadn't felt in years.

"What was that?" Jack asked, spinning around to look at her, in incredulous look on his face. "Did you just… Talk?" He started laughing hysterically, but AJ held her ground, giving him the worst glare she could muster. Which probably wasn't much.

"Awe, you look like a little field mouse!" Jack exclaimed, as if he were speaking to a 3-year-old. AJ looked down, her face flushing. "So cute! Anyway, you see why I showed this to you?" AJ shook her head 'no'. "Well, since you're going to be dumb about this, I'll tell you. Remember when I told you something big would happen in three years?" AJ nodded yes. "Well, believe it or not, we're about four days from then! What do you think about that?"

AJ was excited, very excited. But she knew better than to answer.

"And do you know what the best part is?" Jack paused for effect. "This vermin of a brother you had will be dead as a doornail when this is all done!" AJ's face dropped. "Come on! It'll be so great!" AJ faked a smile. "There we go. That's better. I can hardly wait!"

AJ thought of how genuinely upset Eliot had sounded. Had he really been missing her? Did the 'cold-blooded-killer' actually care for her?

She was so lost in thought that Jack had to call her name several times.

"Hey! Earth to idiot!" AJ's head snapped over to him. "Finally! Were you… thinking? You know how dangerous that is; especially for a woman. You'll start getting… ideas." Jack shuddered. "Just don't think he's coming to get you, alright sweetie?" Jack's voice dripped with honey. "I'm going to protect you from him. I promise."

AJ half-wanted to believe him and stay with him, but the other half realized that, killings and all, Eliot would be a better person to be with at the moment. But she couldn't decide, so she let Jack make that choice for her.

"You promise?" AJ asked timidly.

"Cross my heart, hope to die." Jack said, crossing over his heart with his finger. He stuck out his pinkie. "Deal?"

"Deal." AJ hooked her pinkie in his and they shook solemnly.

"Now, it's time to bring in the villain!" Jack said. "Men, take her in her room so she can rest."

AJ was gently dragged back to her closet.

She knew Jack was the reason it was so painful to walk, but maybe he was punishing her out of love? That must have been it. She had tried to run away, so he was just making sure she didn't endanger herself by leaving.

They had made a deal, and even sealed it with a pinkie promise. There was no backing out now. She had to trust he would protect her from the monstrosities of Eliot Spencer. From her former brother.


	11. Chapter 11

The Second Spencer

Chapter 11

Eliot left the office the other day feeling a whole new low. Now the team knew about one of his greatest mistakes. Now there was no way he could stop them from trying to help him. It's not that he didn't appreciate them; he just didn't need anyone else getting hurt because of him. Especially them.

When Eliot woke that morning, he was surprised at how long he had slept. It was almost three hours. _Three_. His alarm clock read 4:30 AM.

Eliot groggily ran a hand over his face. He had no idea why he was so tired. He thought back to last night.

Oh. That's why.

Eliot had downed a couple of beers and was probably slightly hung over. He usually didn't do that, but it was most likely due to the fact that his before-dead sister was now very much alive in the hands of one of his enemies. Great.

He rolled out of bed, headed to the kitchen, and got himself a water bottle. He downed it and got three more.

After this number, he plopped down onto his couch. It was 6 now, and he'd probably head to Nate's around 7:30 AM.

Wait. He was sure he only drank a couple beers. So why was he so hung over?

Eliot cursed as he hopped to his feet, looking around frantically. He thought of every possible chance someone would have had to drug him the other night. He had escorted out a drunk that was causing a scene. He'd left his drink exposed…

He cursed yet again as his vision began to blur. Why was this drug taking so long to affect him?

His door burst open and about five men stormed in. They each were armed with a riffle or handgun, all pointing at him from a distance. He stood, ready to fight, but swayed unsteadily on his feet. They just stood there, trained on him. He cursed again.

Eliot locked on one of them. Or was there three of that one guy? Eliot wasn't sure, but he decided to aim for the one to the right and he swung out a punch. The man easily dodged, leaving Eliot to fall face-first to the ground. _'Great,'_ He thought, _'just like Pakistan…'_

And with that, he promptly blacked out.

LEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGE

Jack Nellis had never been a vengeful man, but seeing as Eliot Spencer had killed his brother then hospitalized him, there was a slight acceptance to his behavior.

When Jack had seen his brother's lifeless body, he was devastated. Eliot was still there, having just finished the heinous deed of breaking John's neck when Jack walked in. Something snapped in him and he attacked the murderer. He didn't even recognize Eliot from his days in the service. This was due to blind rage and that his eyes were different. They used to be filled with the brightness of a new soldier, but now they were filled with the darkness of an assassin with a lust for blood. He was like a hound dog, doing nothing but what pleased his master. Caring about nothing but his orders.

The monster took one look at Jack and kicked his throat, sending him crashing into a nearby coffee table, cracking his head open.

"I'm not sorry, Nellis," Is what he said as he left after kicking him in the stomach, cracking a couple ribs. "Just following orders," The words rung in Jack's mind, even now.

When Jack was released from the hospital after a month (from the throat kick and the cracked ribs), he began his planning. Of course, he'd seen all the shows where the villain plotted revenge and failed miserably, but he learned from them. He wouldn't make their mistakes. He'd be the ultimate villain.

So, he took Spencer's sister right in front of him. Jack had AJ for three years, and she was his now. He'd even made her think he was her brother (sometimes). But she was stubborn, too much like Spencer, so Jack had to rough her up a little bit. He'd never done anything that would take not only her honor but also his away. That would make him less of a man and more like a monster. More like Eliot Spencer.

After those three years of mostly ignoring AJ (only 'visiting' to brainwash her more), the plan had finally moved on to the final stages.

He began by updating all his information on Spencer. There was one thing Jack found hilarious; he had a _team_. An actual team that was still together after more than a year. Jack found that surprising due to the fact that Eliot was a selfish, heartless beast. He couldn't even save his own sister. Too bad for him though, she was Jack's now. Eliot had lost her by his own mistakes, and Jack was just saving her from him.

AJ Spencer. Now she's hard to figure out. _'Just like every blasted woman…'_ Jack thought, _'… No. She's different. Stronger. It's almost as if she should have been a man…'_ Jack shook his head, smiling at how he got off track. AJ was a stupid girl, but she was Jack's stupid girl. And he would never let anyone come between him and her.

Jack immediately slammed the brakes on his train of thought.

' _No,'_ Jack changed course, _'I can't. I can't actually think about her as my sister. I'm going to kill her, right? Right along with her brother… Maybe I could keep her. Maybe we can live a normal life after all this is done. But would she still love me once I kill Eliot?'_

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"What?" He asked sharply, "This better be important."

The door hesitantly opened, revealing the dumb face of a burly man named Harry.

"Sir," Harry's deep voice grumbled stupidly, "Spencer at brew pub. We go now?"

"What are you, an idiot?" Jack snapped. Harry almost answered. "Of course I want you to!" He didn't move. "GO!" Jack bellowed.

Harry jumped away from the door as if it were electric and ran down the hall. The door slammed behind him. Jack sighed in anger.

'That's what you get for hiring revenge-blinded idiots…' He scolded himself. His men were mostly people who were looking to get revenge on Spencer while others were just in it to be a part of the fall of a legend.

And they were in luck because today was the start of that fall.

Jack grabbed his keys, jacket, and headed out to his car, ready for the next stage in his plan.


	12. Chapter 12

The Second Spencer

Chapter 12

(The Day of Eliot's Disappearance)

Nate gulped down the last of his drink and put the glass down harshly. It had been a very long couple of days, what with the con, Eliot's behavior, and the reason for his actions. And Nate was going to help Eliot, whether the man liked it or not.

Nate glanced at his watch. It was 7:40 AM. Eliot should have been there by now… He shook off his immediate concern, thinking he was probably stuck in traffic or some other excuse. _'In the next few minutes, he should be getting here…'_ Nate thought, all worries pushed to the side.

Sophie, Parker, and Hardison soon arrived. None of them failed to ask where Eliot was, and Nate could only shrug. Hardison had gotten on the computer, typing away for an unknown reason. After a few minutes of them being there, the painful silence was broken.

"His com is off." Hardison finally concluded, "I'll call him." He pushed a single button on his phone, "Speed dial," he explained. It rung twice but went to a generic voicemail.

"He usually answers between the fourth and fifth rings…" Sophie thought aloud. "Do you think he's alright?"

"He's Eliot," Parker said incredulously, "Of course he's alright. He's, like, immortal."

"He is most certainly not," Sophie muttered.

"We need to find him. Now," Nate commanded.

"I could track his phone," Hardison dragged his chair closer to the table and began pressing buttons on the touch-screen.

"Nate, why did you want us here anyway? The con is finished, right?" Sophie asked.

"We were going to help… We were going to take down Jack Nellis," Nate said, staring off into the distance. He rose, grabbing his glass and going to grab a drink. He was going to need one.

LEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGE

Eliot tried to open his eyes, but it was like they were tied down by a ton of bricks. With much effort, he pried them open. He was in the back of a moving van.

He tried to lift his arm in an attempt to sooth his aching head, but it refused to move. He tried to move the other but came up with the same results. He looked down to find that he was bound tightly to a swivel chair, his arms tied around the back. He began to struggle.

"It won't work," A dumb voice said, "you drugged." Eliot's vision focused on a buff giant of a man. "Yes. It's Harry," the man said.

Eliot vaguely remembered him. He had been one of only a handful of unsuccessful hits. And that was only because there were too many people around that would have been endangered. It was more towards the beginning of his freelancing.

"You're… still as stupid… as I remember…" Eliot found it strangely hard to speak. His words came between breaths, stammered and ragged.

However, Harry didn't like the insult. He punched Eliot right in his gut. But he did it right and Eliot's drugged-up body doubled over (as best as it could tied up) and he fought for breath.

"Harry's not stupid!" He yelled in Eliot's ear. His voice dropped dangerously low, "Soon, you're not gonna say anything, 'cuz I'll rip your throat out."

"Well… then I should talk… while I still can…" Eliot retorted, his strength slowly returning.

The next thing he knew, the chair flew back and he landed on his hands painfully. He heard a crack and knew it was his fingers breaking. He growled out slightly in pain. Harry laughed and Eliot knew it would be a long drive.

LEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGE

Hardison's search came up with almost nothing. The location was first at an old gas station, but as soon as they were about to make their plan, it changed. Now it was at an old diner. Then it became a dump. All of this happened in seconds and continued to change. Hardison had almost spit out the orange soda he had previously drunk victoriously. He'd been played. In a small scale, but it still did enough damage to his pride. He rubbed his scalp, then, suddenly focused, dived towards the table and got working again while the team watched in confusion.

Parker did _not_ like it. She didn't like how Eliot had disappeared, and she didn't like how Hardison was tricked like that. _Hardison_!

She felt like running. She needed to get away and protect herself from feeling. But another part of her didn't want to. No matter what, she wouldn't leave. She couldn't. Especially when Eliot, who was always there when the team needed him, now needed _them_. Needed _her_.

After deciding Hardison would take a while, she went to get her harness so she could jump from the banister. The banister on the nice, high ceiling that she loved so much.

Just to do something- anything- to get her mind off of Eliot and how it really effected her that he wasn't there.

LEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGELEVERAGE

Eliot spent the rest of the ride with his fingers smashing under the chair on every bump. They went numb after a while, but his head was being uncontrollably flung around.

Soon the car stopped, but being disoriented, Eliot couldn't tell which way they were headed.

The back door of the van slid open and a face was soon floating above Eliot's. It belonged to none other than Jack Nellis.

"Oh, did you give Harry a hard time?" Jack said after assessing Eliot's position on the floor. "That's quite rude, you know," He snapped and Eliot's chair lifted. His body felt immediate relief. "Oof. Those fingers look broken." Jack looked Eliot up and down. "My gosh you've gotten fat."

Eliot scowled at him, doing 'that thing with his eyes that scares people'. Fear flashed momentarily across Jack's eyes but he quickly smirked.

"Nice try. But it's going to take a lot more that a stupid glare to get you out of this. Probably an army, but I doubt anyone cares about you that much." Jack pulled out a syringe and vile, and filled the syringe. "This is just to make the trip inside easier." He addressed his men and said, "Get him in a wheelchair when he's out."

Jack inserted the needle into Eliot's arm. He was doing his best to get away, but the ropes made it very hard. Plus, he was drugged and injured, so he let himself slip away into blackness until it consumed him.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Oh dear, I done did screw up! Ah! I'm so very sorry that it has taken me so long. I've had school and a play and all the things all the days. Hopefully, there are still some of you left… Whelp, I hope you enjoy the 13**_ _ **th**_ _ **chapter of The Second Spencer! (PS: please inform me of plot holes, any mistakes, mysterious purple leprechauns, and anything else of concern, but do it in a way that you'd like to be told. REVIEWING, ADDING ME, ETC. REALLY HELPS REMIND ME! EVEN IF YOU SAY SOMETHING RANDOM, IT HELPS! SO PLEASE DO!)**_

* * *

The Second Spencer

Chapter 13

Sophie could practically see the cogs in Nate's mind turning as he watched Hardison's monitor.

"The deadline!" Nate blurted, "We forgot about the 3-year deadline!"

Hardison cursed, leaning back in his chair. Parker suddenly landed on the table smoothly from her perch above. She unhooked her gear and walked to the couch.

"Wait, what day is it?" She asked.

"September… 17th," Hardison answered after thinking. He checked his watch. "It's almost noon!"

They were all surprised. They had been there waiting for 5 hours and Eliot was _still_ missing.

"Ugh, what's taking Eliot so long?" Parker complained, stretching out on the couch dramatically.

"I can't believe I forgot about the deadline…" Nate muttered, ignoring Parker's question.

"Nate, we all know you're disappointed, but really, there's nothing we can do about forgetting but remember right now," Sophie softly answered.

"Okay, Soph. Okay," Nate seemed to brighten slightly as he spoke. "So, what's this all about? Is it a coincidence that Eliot disappeared at this exact time? Or does it have to do with this deadline?"

"But how did they nab Sparky? I mean, come on," Parker complained, "he's Sparky."

"He's human, Parker," Sophie explained. "He's not superman."

"He isn't?" Parker asked, genuinely confused. "Wait! He's a genius! He's just _pretending_! He let them take him so he can go all ninja and take his sister back! See? He _is_ Superman! Am I the only one who gets it?"

"Parker, he…" Nate decided to let his sentence trail off, letting her be optimistic; for now. "Hardison, got anything off his phone?"

"Not yet. The signal's bouncing all over the place. Can't get a solid location…" He suddenly slammed his fist on the table. "Why can't I get a location?!" Hardison yelled, cursing.

Sophie, who had jumped out of her chair in fright at the sudden outburst smoothly played it off, walked over to him and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Hardison, calm down a bit. Take a little break, you've been staring at that screen all day."

Hardison nodded in agreement and slid his chair away from the computer. He slid a hand down his face then rubbed his eyes.

"Okay, so let's think this through. Eliot has a lot of enemies, but this one has gone too far." Nate said, the contempt obvious in his voice and face.

"This guy is seriously messed up." Hardison said, lifting his head from his hands. He turned to the computer again and pulled up a file labeled 'Nellis' (followed by a string of nasty words). "Former Black Ops, and I mean deep Black Ops. He- oh my gosh- he and Eliot served together."

"But that doesn't make sense. This seems like a grudge formed over years, a lifetime even. I mean, come on. He took Eliot's sister," Sophie reasoned. "That's one of the most personal things he could have done."

"Hold on…" Hardison hit a few keys and a file pulled up. "Here we go. Looks like Nellis' brother was killed about 5 years ago. Murdered. Nellis walked in while it was happening and got hospitalized. Cracked his head open, and a few ribs. The culprit was never caught. Grudge? Most likely."

"Does that really matter at this point?" Sophie asked impatiently, "All that matters is getting him back!"

"Yes, Sophie. But I don't want to put anyone at risk by going in and not even knowing what or who we're dealing with." Nate countered growing frustrated himself. "Hardison, can you get anything else from the files?"

"No. Seems like a pretty open and shut case. They didn't have any evidence to hold anyone with, despite Nellis' testimony of it being Eliot. Eliot disappeared, most likely to a non-extradition country," Hardison replied after a moment of checking. "I'll keep digging for Eliot's motive, though."

"Well, we don't actually know that much about Eliot, do we?" Sophie said thoughtfully.

"Course we don't!" Parker exclaimed. She then cupped her hands to her mouth and whispered, "He's protecting his secret identity! Duh!"

"Parker… ugh. Never mind." Sophie muttered, burying her face in her hands. "What time is it anyway?"

Nate checked his watch. "It's 4:42." He said in disbelief.

"We've been here all day?!" Parker exclaimed.

"Eliot would have contacted us by now. Something is definitely wrong." Sophie said, worry evident in every word.

"Hardison, where are you location wise?" Nate asked, his worry also increasing.

"Working on it…" He muttered, "I… I think I got it! It's at… a park..?"

"Are you sure?" Nate asked.

"Yeah… Yeah I am. I'm just… What in the name of all that is holy is _Eliot Spencer_ doing hanging out at a _park_? _Alone_?"

"Yeah, the 'jungle gyms' aren't even that fun to climb on," Parker said, snorting and folding her arms.

"Yeah, they're not even fun-" Hardison joined, but stopped himself when he realized what he was actually joining. "Wait, what?" He looked confused at Parker.

Before they could go on, Nate interrupted. "Well, let's get down to that park and figure out what's going on. Parker, you and Hardison look out for any danger. Sophie and I will clear out the area just in case."

They all nodded and readied to leave.

Sophie was worried. She was worried and afraid of what they may find at the park. But all she could do was worry, and that's what made it all the harder to walk through the door and hop into Lucille.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Holy crap you guys! I've probably lost most of you, but to those of you left, here's the new chapter… So sorry! Life happened. It's happened almost every chapter I've posted, and for that I'm gravely sorry. Please enjoy! Review kindly and inform me of mistakes. I'll have the new chapter up ASAP (By the way, I made up some bomb things. Don't worry they probably aren't legit).**_

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The Second Spencer

Chapter 14

The door slowly opened, letting a trickle of light enter the cold, dark room. Eliot looked up sharply, which was a mistake. The movement sent a wave of pain through his exhausted limbs. He felt the dried blood on his back crack open as new, warm, fresh blood gushed down his back. This was the result of the whipping that had taken place only a few hours ago. Or was it days…?

Eliot quickly tried to hide the new pain from the figure that confidently waltzed through the door.

"You know, I really thought that Ford guy was smarter than this," Jack said smugly.

"What- are you- talking about?" Eliot stammered through the cold and pain.

"Well, I sent them to the park where your phone is waiting." Jack stated, as if it was obvious. "Do you think they'll be able to get all those kiddies out before the park goes 'boom'?"

"You're sick... Nellis, you're sick…" Eliot muttered, energy gone.

"Oh yeah, did I mention you can watch from the comfort of your own-" Jack gestured to Eliot's current position- "post?" He snapped his fingers.

Two men, one of them a smug-looking Harry, rolled in an old TV set. They connected a laptop and soon a live tape of a park fizzled on screen. Eliot's rage immediately rose. There were more than 20 kids at that park.

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Parker looked on at the playground with sheer disappointment. It was only about seven feet high. What a bummer.

"Hey, at least the kids seem to be enjoying it," Hardison said, noticing her disappointment.

"Yeah, at least _they_ are." She responded, still upset - but slightly less now.

The duo hopped out of Lucille and started towards the 'pathetic' playground.

"Just remember, tell us when you find the phone. Soph and I will get all those people out, don't worry," Nate called from the passenger seat of the van. Sophie had refused to let him drive on account of his drinking.

"Yeah, alright." Hardison said distantly, standing for a moment in a trance.

"Hardison, we're getting Eliot back." Sophie reassured.

"Yeah…" Hardison replied. He then seemed to snap back and straightened. "Yeah. Let's go." He said with more determination. He and Parker headed to the playground.

"They all look so miserable," Parker mumbled, looking upon the happily screaming children.

"Yeah. It's an awful sight…" Hardison remarked sarcastically. "Alright, let's do this." He said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. It beeped as it began tracking Eliot's phone.

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Eliot's rage rose to a boiling point as the back of two familiar figures walked on screen- a bald black one and a bouncy blonde's.

"If you so much as trips, I swear I'll-" Eliot growled, but Jack rode him over.

"You'll what? Glare at me?" Jack mocked, laughing, "Trust me, if anyone gets hurt, those kids will be in the smack middle of it all."

"You sick son of a-"

"Whoa!" Wouldn't want my clever trick to be sprung early, would we?"

Eliot shut his mouth at that, but didn't hold back a glare. He hoped his team could get those people and themselves out in time.

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The beeping from Hardison's phone became more persistent as they neared the small merry-go-round, which about five older kids had claimed.

"Nate, we're gonna have to find a way to get these people out of here. The signal's coming from under the merry-go-round." Hardison said, panicking slightly.

" _We called in a favor. They'll be there soon, don't worry."_ Nate reassured over coms.

"They?" Hardison exclaimed.

Soon after, they saw a large bounce house pop up about 150 feet away. The sign at the top read 'Free Bounce House and Treats'.

"Very original name." Hardison mocked.

" _It'll work. Trust me."_ Sophie said over coms, sounding slightly offended.

Pretty soon, the kids had all convinced their parents and raced over. The area was clear in less than five minutes.

"That's convenient," Parker said. "Your favor?"

" _Yeah,"_ Nate answered. _"Okay, get whatever's under there out."_

Hardison pulled out a flashlight, dropped to his stomach on the wood chips and gazed under the merry-go-round, fearing the worst.

Hardison cursed.

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Eliot watched in horror as they neared where he knew the trap was. The kids were still a present problem.

Suddenly, all the kids raced in the other direction happily. The area was clear. Eliot sighed with relief, while Nellis exclaimed, impressed, "They rented a circus?!"

Eliot then saw Hardison check under the merry-go-round.

Eliot cursed.

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" _What is it?"_ Sophie asked, her voice laced with concern.

"It's a bomb," Hardison rose, trying to hide his panic. He pulled a bomb detector kit from his bag and examined the small package under the merry-go-round. "It's not looking good," he concluded, "I think it's password deactivated, but there are no second chances. I push a wrong button, I even move it the wrong way…"

" _Yeah. We got it."_ Nate said, his voice growing concerned as well.

"I'm gonna go down there and see if anything will trigger if I move it. If there isn't, it's coming out." Hardison said.

He crawled under, moving wood chips. He looked around, deemed it safe, and very carefully pulled it out. The whole team cringed in anticipation as he did so.

"Got it." He said proudly, standing up and brushing himself off. "Okay, what do we have here?"

Hardison carefully unzipped the bag and revealed the device as much as possible. It was a little bigger than a breadbox and had a small panel with a keyboard and screen. The screen was blank.

Hardison ran a hand down his face. "Okay. It's not as bad as it could be… Password diffused. I have to figure the password out then cut the right wires." He sighed. "The problem is figuring out the password."

" _Well, we really just have to think about it… If you were Nellis, what would you put?"_ Nate thought aloud over the coms.

"I don't know, something creepy." Hardison stated with distain.

" _Okay… So… Nellis..."_ Nate thought aloud.

Suddenly, the screen of the bomb flickered to life. It stayed white for a moment then started counting down. 5:00… 4:59… 4:58…

Hardison swore.

" _What's wrong?"_ Sophie exclaimed.

"It's counting down. We have four minutes and… 45 seconds." Hardison answered, feeling numb.


	15. Chapter 15

**_Wow I'm awful. It's been forever! I'm so very sorry about the wait. And I know this happens every time, but PLEASE message me about updating if you care that much. Gosh. Sorry guys! I am trying; I just hit a MAJOR block. Review, etc.; it helps remind me to get crap done. The next couple chapters will be rough, but bear with me. Expect more whump and such. The story is about to take a very dark turn…_**

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The Second Spencer

Chapter 15

"Okay. Um… I need the bomb kit. Should be in the van…" Hardison said, his voice trembling as he lowered himself to kneel beside the bomb. He looked up at Parker. "Could you?" She was already running toward Lucille, which was currently occupied by Nate and Sophie, parked in a nearby lot.

Hardison scanned the area. "If this bomb is from Nellis, wouldn't he want to watch the fun?" He muttered to himself. He spotted a small black dot on a nearby tree and grinned.

He playfully waved at the dot, not knowing if the sound was on or not.

Parker then arrived with the kit, looking at him with concern. "Who are you waving to?"

"Nellis. And possibly Eliot." Hardison casually responded.

"Oh." She said, then waved enthusiastically. "Hey! If El is there, he should know we're coming. Stay alive, Eliot!" She yelled.

"Parker. We have three minutes." Hardison warned, panicking and pulling a pair of cutters out of the kit.

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"Do they seriously have a bomb kit in their van?" Nellis asked, laughing.

"Don't underestimate them, Nellis." Eliot warned.

"What is he looking for?" Nellis asked when he saw Hardison looking around like an idiot. "Oh! He found us!" He laughed, amused. "Maybe I shouldn't kill him… He's quite useful. And here comes Parker! How cute!"

"Nellis. And possibly Eliot." The televised Hardison said, waving.

"Oh." TV Parker waved as well. "If El is there, he should know we're coming. Stay alive, Eliot!"

"Awe, how cute. They still think they can save you," Nellis said sarcastically.

Hardison looked suddenly worried. "Parker, we have two minutes."

Nellis giggled excitedly.

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"You have to go back to the van," Hardison told Parker.

"No! Alec, I'm staying here."

"Parker!" Hardison yelled, "If this thing blows, it'll take you down with it! And if that happens, you know Nate and Sophie need you to help Eliot. Please, go."

 _"He's right. We need you over here, Parker."_ Nate said over the com.

"Alec Hardison," Parker warned, backing away, eyes brimming with tears, "If you die, I'll kill you." She began sprinting back to Lucille, not looking back.

Hardison sighed in relief and checked the time. Two minutes, thirty seconds.

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"Nellis, stop." Eliot warned.

"No," Nellis turned to him slowly. "I won't. I can't."

"Why not?!" Eliot roared, "Your problem is with _me_ , not anyone else! Let them go!"

"NO! You _have_ to suffer, like I did! This won't stop until everyone and everything you ever loved is gone. Only then can you taste something sweet as death!" Jack roared back.

"You…" AJ spoke up quietly, stammering, "You're sick, Jack-"

She was silenced by a stinging blow across the face, delivered by Jack. He lifted her up by the arms and screamed in her face, not yielding to Eliot's screams and curses.

" _You will not speak to me that way, you hear me_?" He screamed, throwing her to the ground. Her head hit against the ground and she fell limp. Nellis kicked her side for good measure.

"Hey!" Eliot screamed, finally heard.

Jack straightened his jacket as Eliot steamed with anger, breathing harshly.

"You didn't need to do that." Eliot fumed through gritted teeth.

Jack stood over AJ's unmoving form, watching the blood stream from the new cut on her face.

"You know, I really thought she'd learned her place." Jack turned, eyes blazing. "You must have had a bad influence. When we're done here, I'll have to re-teach her…"

"Nellis, you listen to me. Stop this. Kill me and end it." Eliot warned. He hesitated. "Please." His teeth were tightly gritted at that point.

"I already said no. And look now!" He gestured to the screen, "Two minutes left!" His tussled hair added to his maniac look. "Let us return to the previously scheduled program!"

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Hardison knelt next to the bomb, regretting the wasted time. He scanned it with a device from the kit, got schematics, and began his work, thinking aloud.

"Okay, Hardison. Cut the… yellow wire…?" He cursed. "There is no yellow wire! Okay. Okay. I'll just… Ahah! This black wire looks… promising…"

 _"Hardison! Is it or is it not the right wire?!"_ Sophie asked, growing impatient in her worry.

"I think it is. It's the right one." He decided.

He cut the wire.

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Eliot watched in horror as Hardison cut the wire. There was a large explosion that left the TV screen simply static.

That was it. His best friend- his brother- was now nothing but static on a TV screen.

He didn't realize he was screaming until his throat hurt. Didn't notice the tears until they fell into his screaming mouth. Didn't notice his struggling against the ropes until he felt fresh blood ooze from his wrist and ankles.

What he did notice was Nellis' smug grin as he watched. AJ was carried out and the TV was removed.

The lights went out. The door slammed shut.

Alec Hardison was gone.

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	16. Chapter 16

_**Yikes here we go again. I'm so sorry, it's been so long, etc. No really I do feel really bad. Life has been happening… I actually recently got back from a trip to Seattle and PORTLAND- THE HOME OF THESE KIDS! I got much inspiration from the city and I PROMISE I'll get to writing. The next chapter should be up within the next few days. Or next week. The story is actually almost over, so stay with me!**_

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The Second Spencer

Chapter 16

Hardison ran as fast as he could but the bomb exploded, propelling him forward. He landed quite close to the street where Sophie had pulled Lucille in panic. Parker hopped out of the van, running to him and checking him. He wasn't moving.

Parker noticed several injuries right off the bat, but none of them seemed too serious. Some cuts, most likely stuffed with gravel and debris from the skid (which was probably about 20 feet) and most likely a concussion. If there were anything else, it would be internal- and it would be serious.

"Hardison!" Parker shook him as gently as her nerves allowed. "Hardison, wake up!"

"Ah!" Hardison jolted awake, looking around frantically, lifting himself up on his elbows but immediately fell back, yelling in pain. "Awe, hee…" He began the curse, but tapered off as his head began spinning relentlessly. He closed his eyes tightly.

Sophie ran to him, flustered in concern. "Hardison! Hardison!"

"Woman, calm down! I gotta headache worse than a… a…" He hesitated, slipping back out of consciousness. "A dinosaur… riding… an Apple computer…"

"Hardison! Alec!" Parker tried to calmly wake him, but eventually got frustrated. She slapped him hard and he jolted up again.

"Woman!" He yelled, trying to hoist himself up again but again crying out in pain.

"You must have landed on your arm. Broke your elbow…" Nate said, kneeling next to him. "We gotta get you up and out of here. Let's get you taken care of."

"No, I'm fine." Hardison took Nate's outstretched hand with his uninjured arm and stood. The color drained from his face and he turned from the group, vomiting.

"Concussion." Sophie confirmed, "Could be worse. Let's get you cleaned up. I know a doctor who will get you taken care of and good by the time we get Eliot back. Then we'll-"

"Nope nope nope. I'm stayin and I'm getting Eliot back." Hardison replied groggily, wiping his mouth. "And there ain't nothin' you can say…" He turned again and threw up.

"Yeah, well you're not helping anyone like this." Nate said, guiding him into the truck. Parker followed him, awkwardly trying to help.

Nate turned to Sophie, who still looked very concerned. "Let's go. We can regroup and decide what to do back at my place."

They both climbed into the van, with Nate driving. Parker had helped Hardison lay down in the back and tried to distract him with random objects she found in the back. Some were some very expensive looking gadgets, and he protested every time she picked it up and pushed random buttons, making odd voices and personifying each one.

"Hey Nate," Parker said, "Nellis was watching. Do you think he thinks Hardison is…" She stared out at the pit the bomb made in the playground. All the parents and kids had run over and were checking out the explosion.

"Probably…" Nate answered, also staring. "The police are probably on their way. Let's go."

They drove away, leaving the smoldering remains of the park behind.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Hey, all! Wow this might be the fastest I've ever updated! Record timing! Anyway, rate, review, etc. The story is actually coming to a close and will probably be over in a few chapters, depending on what I decide. It's been over a year in the making, so thank you for hanging on while I bring you through this crazy story! Love you guys!**_

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The Second Spencer

Chapter 17

Jack Nellis strode out of the room, brimming with confidence. Eliot's reaction to the Alec Hardison's demise was utterly priceless.

He stopped for a second, frowning. Maybe he shouldn't have killed off the hacker… He could have been useful…

Nellis shrugged off his second thoughts and kept walking away. After all, there was no time for second-guessing. He had Spencer's life to destroy.

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AJ Spencer sat in her 'room', alone. She tried to piece together everything that had happened in less than a day. Eliot. Eliot is here. But is he really? Or is she just dreaming…?

She didn't know what to do or what to think. The two men that meant the most to her were trying to kill her.

But why would she even _like_ Jack? _'He took my brother, tortured him… and me… and he is a killer. But isn't Eliot too…?'_ All these thoughts rushed through her head. None of them made enough sense to believe. She groaned and lay down from her sitting position on her bed.

A couple minutes later, Jack walked in on her sulking. "How ya doin', kiddo?" He asked, plopping down beside her.

She sat up, leaning against the wall, and examined his face deeply. His mischievous smile. His eyes that seemed only caring towards her. She laid down again in frustration. He noticed and took on a look of concern.

"What's up, buttercup?" He nudged her legs.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Amelia Jane."

" _Don't call me that_!" She snapped. Instant regret.

"Excuse me?" Jack got angry.

"Um… I meant…" _'Crap. Crap crap crap crap crap…'_ AJ thought, searching for an adequate response. Suddenly, an anger she hadn't felt in years crept to the surface as she glanced at his stern, angry face. She sat up defiantly and couldn't help her next response. "You heard me. Now get out of my room."

" _Excuse me_?" Jack stood, now more pissed off than he had been at her since before the 'disciplining'. "You know what, Spencer is getting into your head, isn't he? Don't go back to the way you were when I saved you. Please don't."

"You're excused. And wait- saved me? You took me from my life. From everything. Now, you're going to take away my brother?" AJ grew even more pissed off than him, but couldn't stand because of the damage done to her legs. "And now I can't even stand up without help." Before she could stop herself from talking, she couldn't help but deliver one last blow. "You know what, go back to hell."

The next thing she knew, she had been roughly thrown to the ground. Jack took her arm and dragged her down the hall, despite her struggling. He threw open the door to Eliot's cell, and she started struggling even more, fearing what he was about to do.

"You know what this little brat just said to me?" Jack roared, throwing her in front of Eliot. Jack kicked her side. "Go ahead, tell him."

She smiled proudly and answered, "I told him to go back to hell."

Eliot couldn't help a small grin. She was slowly coming back. But it quickly disappeared as Nellis grabbed her by the collar of her tattered shirt and punched her jaw, throwing her back to the ground. Eliot couldn't do anything to stop him as he gave her a severe beating.

"What do you think now?" Nellis asked, lifting her up roughly again. Her face had cuts and bruises and blood was starting to show out of her mouth.

She pondered for a minute, straightened her jaw, smiled, and spat blood in his face. He threw her down again and stormed out of the room.

Now that he was gone, AJ exhaled. She knew something worse was coming, but she had a little time to gather herself. She didn't expect to get out of this alive, so might as well try to ease the blow off Eliot.

" _What the_ hell _was that_?!" Eliot yelled, watching her heavy breathing. She positioned herself to see him laying down and smiled at him.

"Trying to distract him, I guess. Also, I'd like to be myself before I die trying to save your butt." She joked, allowing herself a slight chuckle, which was a mistake. She started a coughing fit, spitting out blood. Eliot made a move to help her, but, of course, was stopped by his restraints.

"You okay? AJ?" Eliot asked frantically. She nodded between coughs and finally stopped, smiling in spite of herself. "You really gotta watch your fat mouth, kid. I can take beatings. It's my job."

"I hate your job…" She muttered, smile disappearing. "Every day, you go out and risk your life. And you never get thanked!"

"How did you know that?" Eliot asked, surprised.

"Some days, when I'm exceptionally good, Jack'll let me watch some of your work. Apparently, he has this guy hack into security cameras so I can watch a little. It's not all bad here," She answered, ending softly.

Eliot could tell she was slowly slipping back into her Nellis trance. "It's awful here. Come on, don't let that spark go out. But don't let it get you in trouble, either."

"You're right, I just-" She was interrupted by Nellis storming through the door, rolling in an odd portable furnace, complete with pokers.

"You know what, I was gonna save this baby for later, but since you've decided to have your rebellious spark reignited after _years_ of my work, I suppose I could fit it in." Nellis said angrily, lifting a struggling AJ into a chair opposite of Eliot that had been brought in and strapped her down. "Now, who's ready to have some fun?"


End file.
